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Black-eared wheatear Bahrain (1 Viewer)

I can't make out any white in the outer TF and would expect there to be plenty on show in a BEW - don't suppose you have a more side on picture do you?
 
Jane Turner said:
I can't make out any white in the outer TF and would expect there to be plenty on show in a BEW - don't suppose you have a more side on picture do you?
Click to expand...

I have a few but it will take me a while to pick one and reduce the size. I'll be back soon. :t:
 
This bird looks like an odd Northern Wheatear, lacking any real hint of a supercillium, white throat, dark marking around the ear. Taking a look in Collins it does seem to match a white throated melanoleuca race of Black-eared Wheatear.
 
The first bird is the best side shot I have of the linked bird. The second bird was in the same location about a metre away, although it's not the same bird, it may help as it's a full side shot.
 

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Jane Turner said:
Thanks.... Its a Northern Wheatear
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure... Firstly, it's definately not a Black-eared!

From the side-on photo there a range of features that all point towards an adult spring Isabelline Wheatear:

1) The centre of the lesser- and median-coverts are brown rather than black, as they should be in Northern

2) The black alula really stands out and contrasts with the wing coverts

3) The very strong black loral stripe (in front of the eye) with a paler black behind the eye is classic spring Isabelline

4) Although I'd like the supercilium to be whiter in front of the eye, there does appear to be contrast with the super behind the eye appearing more buff

5) The structure, with a very long & heavy bill, and long legs with long, exposed feathered tibia, also looks pro-Isabelline to me.

Clearly the tail would have clinched it, but looks like an Issy rather than a Northern to me...

Ben
 
Hi Ben,

I'm still inclined to say that this bird is a strangley plumaged Northern. First off, if you look at the stance it's horizontal, not the classical upright pose of Izzy, I realise this is hardly a fair analysis off one photo, but its a point.... Secondly the mantle is surely too grey toned? I would of thought it should be more brown, and less contrasty with the breast, which, although i'm not sure, looks too strongly coloured to me. Finally that dark patch behind the eye is hardly something associated with Isabelline, which are usually more washed out, overall brown coloured birds.

Cheers

D
 
Notice how unreliable these pic. are when it comes to colour of supercilium, ear-coverts, median coverts and crown, whole upperparts is consistently greyish in contrast to strongly buff underparts. In pic. 1+2 median coverts are rather dark, almost blackish, shifting in pic. 3 to pale brownish, pro Isabelline suddenly. In pic. 3 supercilium is whiter in front of the eye but also very prominent behind. It´s taken in March so autumn characters have failed a bit.
So - I agree with those who say´s Common, and Dan,s point about the dark ear.coverts which would be to dark for Isabelline.

JanJ
 
Hi all,

Great discussion - now things are getting rather interesting.

Firstly, thanks to AJDH for posting such good quality photos that we can get our teeth into.

I'm still going with Isabelline. Because...

1) Firstly, whilst I agree that my usual mental image of Issy is 'brown all over', remember that this photo was taken in spring in the Middle East, and not autumn in NW Europe. Worn, adult spring Issy's are darker with more grey on the back than fresh birds in autumn.

2) Whilst I agree JanJ's comments that the bird apperance changes as the posture in the photos change, I think that the 'side-on' image is more reliable than the 'front-on' pics - the feather tracks, particularly around the face, are in a more natural position.

3) Also agreed that standing up straight is a great Issy field characteristic, I don't think we can read too much into the fact that this one isn't. I personally don't think we should make any conclusions on this front from three photos.

4) I still think that the plumage features I detailed in my first post still hold and still point towards Issy. I can't see an adult female spring Northern looking like this?

Here's a couple of pics to show what I mean. Firstly, an adult Issy - not the bill size, back colouration and alula / covert contrast:

http://www.alsirhan.com/images/Isabelline_Wheatear_sc3.jpg

Now, compare that to this spring (April) adult female Northern:

http://www.birds-of-denmark.dk/stenpikker.htmhttp://www.birds-of-denmark.dk/stenpikker.htm

Cheers,

Ben
 
I must admit when I saw this image I thought "surely that isn't a female Northern?!" - as Ben says, surely a female Northern wouldn't look like this in late March!

My money is on Isabelline - I think the side-on photo shows a more Isabelline-like structure than Northern.

The pics have also clearly been contrasted alot, so the bird is not showing its natural colours well - this would make the ear coverts look alot darker than they probably were in real life.

EDIT: look at the third image - the wing coverts lack very dark/black centres which Northerns show - a pro-Isabelline feature? Also not enough contrast between the wing and mantle colours surely?
 

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Still a Northern me just, although Ben nearly persuaded me. Always tough seperating the 2, look in the gallery isabellines are more slimer longer looking and creamier plumage.

Also the 3rd pic is a different bird but both I think are Northerns.

I have noticed said this before on this forum taking pictures of northerns from eye level gives the impression of the coverts being less dark centred.
 
Are you taking in to account this is an adult bird in spring, rather than a juv in Autumn? The third pic is an Isabelline for sure - have you ever seen a female Wheatear looking like this in Spring?

It is also worth remembering these images clearly do not show the natural colours of the bird, being alot warmer due to the heavy contrasting that these image have suffered.
 
The third bird admittedly does look the most Isabelline like out of the 2 Josh but I would like to see multiple views.

Here's a similar bird posted in particular to the 1st one, at the same time last year by Adrian, in which I mentioned the northern looks autumn like. I think the image in this one has been sharpened up

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=555282#post555282

edit: I favour the 2nd bird being an Isabelline. Would like more views though.
 
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Two-bird Theory

Apologies to start with - I hadn't realised that the three photos showed two different birds (just looked at the photos and not read all the text...).

In some ways this makes things easier. The bird is photo 3 is a clear-cut Isabelline. Definately. It's got the full set of characteristics, and no plumage features to say it's not. Job done on that.

Now the first bird, this is more tricky. I agree it does show pro-Northern features, but could a Northern look like this in Spring? I'm confused by the bird in the thread that Steven has just given the link to - it looks like a Northern, but how? A first-summer female?? I guess that would make sense if it still has last year's wing feathers?

Look forward to hearing what you all think... Cheers, Ben
 
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